Alleged state land alienation to wife of Maheepala Herath Civil organization vow to take legal action against Maheepala Herath

• Politicians in the area are acquiring state land illegally
• The Land Kachcheri and the Provincial Land Commissioner had approved the lease 

By Dayaratne Embogama   

“Api Purawesiyo Sanvidanaya” ( We are the Citizens ) said it decided to take legal action against the alleged alienation of a 60 perch agricultural land and a 20 perch residential land in Katukeliyawa Grama Niladhari area in Anuradhapura Central Nuwagam Palatha Division to North Central Province Governor Maheepala Herath’s wife Ajantha Rupasari under the long term lease system.   

 Convener of the organization Priyantha Fernando said the alienating of the two blocks of land was illegal.   
“Politicians in the area are acquiring state land illegally. The claim that the Governor’s wife has settled down in that land and developed it is baseless. Several families in the North Central Province have been left without a fixed abode for want of land. Without least concern about the hardships facing the landless people, politicians and their relatives are occupying state land. The target of the governor’s wife is to occupy the three acre land forming a part of the tank reservation adjacent to the land in question, “ he said.   

However, Divisional Secretary R.M.G.Senaratne said a woman had requested for the grant of this land at a land Kachcheri and that it transpired later that she was the governor’s wife.   

“An individual had illegally occupied and developed the land and sold it to the governor’s wife. However, there is no restriction on issuing a land permit on an application to the Land Kachcheri made by the individual who occupied and developed it. As far as I know there is no restriction on leasing a state land to a relative of a governor,” the Divisional Secretary said.   

He said the Land Kachcheri and the Provincial Land Commissioner had approved the lease.